NOTE: This story can now be read over on my portfolio site, A Monster's Bond, so please go check it out there, since it will have more editing and refinement than this version!
The Giantess and the God of Mirth
The fragile, yet stunningly beautiful, goddess princess Ninigi was tasked by her grandfather, Amaterasu the sun god, to descend to the world below in order to bring peace to the chaos that had enveloped it.
But, before she could set out upon her journey, a fearsome giantess, whose height was topped by the mountains alone, took up a position before the bridge.
Not one of the hundreds of gods and goddesses dared to face the fearsome giant, and so it fell upon Ninigi's shoulders to select someone to speak with the giantess. She pondered deeply before eventually calling forth Uzume, the gorgeous god of mirth.
"You beckoned me, Princess?" Uzume said with a flourish.
"I did indeed, Uzume," Ninigi said. "I require you to go forth and meet with the giantess blocking the bridge to the mortal realm to ask why she has come. Your looks are unmatched by any among the rest of the gods, and so perhaps you shall survive your encounter with the giantess since she may not wish to mangle a beauty such as you."
"Very well," Uzume said. "I will go and meet with this giantess that all are too fearful to approach once I have done myself up in my finest raiment."
And so Uzume washed himself in a sacred spring nestled in the mountains in which the waters ran crystal clear. He dried himself and then wrapped himself in a black kimono that was embroidered with elegant golden dragons. And then he made his way to meet the giantess.
The giantess had skin the color of river stones and long, flowing hair the color of the clouds above. Her toned body was wrapped in layers of charcoal colored dragonhide, and she held a metal staff that stood as tall as herself. Yet, despite her fearsome stature, her face was pleasant to the eye, and her ruby eyes glittered when Uzume approached.
"Who is it that has the strength of will to approach me? the giantess rumbled.
"That would be I, Uzume, god of mirth," Uzume said with a laugh. "And who might you be, fair maiden?"
The ground quaked as the giantess laughed, yet Uzume did not falter, and even laughed along with her.
"I believe you may be the first to call me a fair maiden, but they call me Saruta-niko," the giantess said. "I am the deity of the field paths."
Uzume smiled. "Well met, Saruta-niko," he said. "Why have you come to block this bridge? Surely you've noticed the fear that has been struck into the hearts of those that dwell here."
Saruta-niko frowned and stared forlornly at the ground. "While I cannot do anything to prevent their fear," Saruta-niko said, "I have come to be Ninigi's guide on her journey upon the ground below, for there are none who know the earth as well as I."
"Very well," Uzume said. "I shall bring Ninigi here so that you two might head down to the world below."
Uzume turned and began to walk away, but before he was out of earshot he turned and called back over his shoulder to the giantess. "Also, know that there will always be one god who does not fear you, Saruta-niko," Uzume said, and his pleasant laughter carried along the wind as he returned to Ninigi.
Saruta-niko smiled at his receding back and waited patiently for his return.
Within the day, Uzume returned with Ninigi, and he bid the pair off with a joyful wave and a smile.
Saruta-niko was indeed a faithful guide to Ninigi, and with her presence, none dared to intrude on Ninigi's mission. After a span of years, Saruta-niko constructed a palace from which Ninigi could slowly bring peace to the land.
With the need for Saruta-niko's services now past, Ninigi wished to reward her loyalty.
"Saruta-niko, you've served me faithfully for many years, what can I bestow upon you in repayment?" Ninigi asked.
"I would like to marry the one god who has no fear of me in his heart, if he will have me," Saruta-niko said.
"I shall summon him at once," Ninigi said.
And so she summoned Uzume to her palace in the mortal realm.
"Why have I been called, Princess?" Uzume asked.
Ninigi gestured at the giantess. "As repayment for her service, this one here has asked only for the hand of the one god who does not fear her," Ninigi said. "What say you, Uzume?"
Uzume chuckled and smiled. "I have no objections," he said. "I would be honored to wed a woman of such beauty and loyalty as she."
Saruta-niko smiled and lowered her open hand so that Uzume could step onto her hand. She stood back up with him in her hand, but then she frowned.
"Princess, could I perchance ask of you a second thing as a reward for my service?" Saruta-niko asked.
"What is it?" Ninigi said.
"Could you grant me the power to shrink so that I might hold my dear husband close without fear of crushing him?" Saruta-niko asked.
"Consider it done," Ninigi said.
Ninigi stepped forward and laid her hands on Saruta-niko's ankle, and the giantess steadily shrank until she stood only a few inches taller than Uzume, who now stood beside her. The pair embraced and then smiled at one another.
They were wed in a grand ceremony with Ninigi's blessing, and they spent the rest of eternity together in their wonderful home atop a mountain covered in sakura trees that were always in bloom.
Author's Note
I technically didn't stray too far from the original story in terms of overall plot points, though I changed many of the details of the story, as well as the focus of it. The original was focused around Ninigi, but I was most interested in Uzume and the giant, so that's what I focused on in my story.
The most notable change I made was to gender-swap all of the characters, since I thought it might be a fun twist to have a giantess and a god of mirth instead of a giant and goddess of mirth. I've also found doing that helps inspire me by altering the characters into something new.
There were two notable plot changes I made, though they're rather slight. The first is that Uzume more directly flirted with the giant in their first interaction, since I felt that helped hint at the ending a bit better. And the other change I made was having the giant actually ask for Uzume, rather than simply be granted Uzume by Ninigi as the reward for the giant's service. I thought it helped to make a better ending for this little story.
All of the other changes were just adding or changing details to help flesh out the story's imagery in my rendition, so I won't cover those here, since they have no real impact on the story itself.
I hope you enjoyed this story of mine!
Bibliography
Story Source: "The Heaven-Descended" [Part A] [Part B] by E. W. Champney and F. Champney
Image Source: Painting of Sakura Trees by AnnaliseArt
